Children of Destruction
by TuesdayRaine
Summary: Life has never been easy for Bella. It's been a sea of let down, heartache, shame and shadows. The last thing she wants is a child to screw up. So what does life hand her? A child, fathered by yet another obstacle. An obstacle she's not sure how to pass.
1. The Infamous Mistakes

My phone rang for what seemed like the one hundredth time in one hour. I dug through my purse and finally found it in between an empty pack of gum and a carton of cigarettes. I flipped it open, nearly hacking on the dust it collected. I got at a pawn shop last summer and have been praying it doesn't die on me for months. It was most likely older than I am. I heard a bit of static and then a small, gruff voice on the other end. I intently listened for familiarity and found it in the wheezing cough it let out. We were done with classes today, so I swung my bag over my shoulder and waved to the others, before walking out the door. The air was chilly and I wrapped my sweater tightly around my leotard. I should have worn a thicker one, I scolded myself.

"Are you there?" He asked, quietly. "Bella, are you there? It's me."

"I'm sorry, I know no one by the name of me." I smiled softly to myself. "What do you need, brother?"

He coughed. "Did Charlie call you yet?"

I wrinkled my eyebrows. "No, why would he? It's not our birthday. At least, I don't think it is. If it is, I need to buy a new calendar."

Jasper grumbled in irritation. "You actually _own _a calendar? I don't own soap."

I rolled my eyes. "That's not my fault. Now, why would Charlie call me?"

He huffed. "I don't know. He said something about a birthday party for that one kid tonight. The older one, you know…Brittney? Bonnie?"

"Bree," I informed him. "The oldest is Bree. The other is Maggie."

He whistled. "No shit? I thought it was Aggie."

I ignored him. "He hasn't called me yet. Are you telling me that we're actually invited to this? Us? The perpetual mistakes?"

Jasper chuckled. "Let's start a band. What's Ringo doing these days? I bet he'd be more than happy to join. Oh, and DJ Jazzy Jeff. For our remixes and shit. He has to be dying for a paycheck."

I snickered. "Are you going?"

He snorted. "Am I going? Bella, I didn't know the kids name. Why would I go to her birthday party? I bet they got her a clown. We never got a clown. Or a moon bounce or a cake. We got a muffin, fuck's safe. One muffin. We had to share it."

"I know, Jaz." I scoffed. "I was there."

There was a childish edge to his voice. "Well, Charlie certainly wasn't. Don't tell me you're going to this Festival of Unfairness? Because I will lose all respect for you, I swear."

That was supposed to scare me. "While I do thrive on your respect, Jaz, I might go. If he calls me, that is. Maybe he just invited you."

"Why?" Jasper laughed. "I don't give two shits about his little brats."

"Jasper," I said, warningly. "Look, you can be mad at Charlie, but don't take it out on the kids. They're technically our sisters. You know that right?"

Jasper huffed. "Yeah, and Charlie is technically our Father. It means nothing, Bella."

I sighed. "You can tell yourself that, Jaz. But I'm ready to give him another chance or whatever the hell he's trying to do by inviting us to this thing. Where are you right now? I'm on Hansen Street, I'll meet you."

He withdrew. "I'm, um, tied up right now, actually. I was just calling to warn you."

I narrowed my eyes, suspiciously, though he couldn't see. "You're acting shady, Jasper Swan. Are you alright? Do you need a place to stay? I've told you a million times that I could use a roommate."

He chuckled, quietly, before someone shouted his name in the background. I closed my eyes and stopped walking, trying to completely concentrate. "No, no, Bells. I'm staying somewhere…nice, real…real, real nice. I have to go. I'll call you later, okay? I love you."

I started to walk again, disappointed. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I love you too. Bye, loser."

I snapped my phone shut and rolled my eyes. That boy was so evasive. I climbed into my truck, panting when I finally reached the car deck. It was the closest one to the restaurant and I set my head down on the steering wheel, trying to catch my breath. I started my car, wanting so badly to turn the heat on. But I was not one to waste money and I couldn't afford it. You know you're poor when you can't afford to be warm. I should just put a blanket In here, I thought as I drove down the levels. My phone beeped in cup holder and I pulled it out, not recognizing the number that popped up. I flipped it open and cautiously held it to my ear.

"Hello?" I answered. There was a pause.

"Bella?" A voice asked, uncertainly. "Bella, it's your, um, Dad."

Thank you, Jasper. If he hadn't of warned me, I would've had a small heart attack a moment ago. "Oh, hey, Charlie. I didn't recognize the number."

He chuckled, nervously. "Yeah, yeah, that happens sometimes. Listen, I know this is short notice and all, but we're having a birthday party for Bree tonight and Sue and I were wondering if you would like to come?"

I gulped. "Uh, let me check my schedule."

I held the phone away from my ear and pretended to look through my supposed schedule. I held it back after a moment and pretended to be surprised. "It looks like I'm free. For once, you know? I'm just so busy these days."

He cleared his throat. "If you're too tired, we'll understand. Bree will be disappointed, but she'll get over it, I guess."

Did he have the audacity to guilt trip me? "I'm not too tired. I'll be there. Have you called Jasper yet?"

I had a feeling Jasper wasn't completely honest about their conversation.

"Oh," He whistled. "Yeah, I've talked to him. He wasn't, um, very pleased to speak with me."

I wonder why. "He's in a mood. It's nothing personal. So, what time should I be there?"

"Six." He responded. "And you don't have to get her anything. We'd just like you to come."

I hadn't planned on it. "If you say so. I'll talk to Jasper, alright? I'm sure he's just stressed out about work or something. See you tonight?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll see you tonight, kid." He said, before hanging up. What was that, _Dad_? Oh, of course, I love you too.

I should be so lucky.

I drove to my apartment, where I was met with yelling in the lobby. I rolled my eyes and walked passed Mr. and Mrs. Stanley, arguing with one behind the counter and one in front. When Mrs. Stanley saw me walk by, she put on a cheery smile. "Oh, hello, Bella! Lovely weather we're having, no?"

I weakly smiled back at her. "It's beautiful, Mrs. Stanley. Tell Jessica I said congratulations on the baby. A boy, right?"

She nodded, ignoring her husband's muttering. "Little Mike Junior. If you saw him, you'd just want to eat him up!"

"I'm sure. Jessica and Mike make an adorable couple." If you could get past the black eye he gave her last Thanksgiving. "Have a nice day."

"You too, dear." She said as I jogged up the stairs to my apartment. When I was out of sight, I heard her start back up again. "You filthy piece of scum, cheating on me with that whore of a…"

I tuned out as my breathing started to get heavy. It was days like these when I wished this place had an elevator. Too bad I couldn't afford a place with an elevator. Unless I wanted to actually like in an elevator. In which case, it was probably bigger than the hole in the wall I presently resided in. I unlocked my door, just as my neighbor, Mr. Jenks, came out in his underwear. I closed my eyes and prayed he wouldn't talk to me, but the Lord has never really been in my corner, so why would he throw me a bone today? Mr. Jenks was a nice man, he really was. Only because he didn't have the balls to be a cad. Not to mention, he had just the oddest crush on me. I just had no desire to talk to him in his Mr. Grinch underwear. Especially when Mr. Grinch had his head right smack dab in the middle of WhoVille.

"Miss Bella! Just the girl I wanted to see. I got some more of your mail today and it looked rather important." He explained, coming oddly close to me. I took the thick envelope from his hand. "Something from a Dr. Gerandy. I didn't open it, don't worry. Are you sick? You look a little uncomfortable. You want to come over to my place? I've got a brand spanking new bottle of ginger ale. I was getting ready to make some Shirley temples. I bet it'd settle your stomach, cherry or no cherry."

"That's a tempting offer, Mr. Jenks, but I kind of have plans tonight. Maybe another time, alright?" I asked, giving him a flirtatious smile. Who was I to ruin an old man's day? His dreams weren't ever coming to life, but I saw no harm in fueling them. In fact, I saw a fire starting under Mr. Grinch right about now. "Have a nice day."

"You too, Miss Bella." He mumbled, wandering back into his home.

I smiled to myself and walked into mine, tossing my mail on to the counter. It was a small place, but big enough to stretch my legs and that's all that mattered. I collapsed on to my couch and I was almost positive that a cloud of dirt and smoke circled around me. Let's just say this couch had seen better days. I should really quit smoking. I glanced at my watch and groaned. Here I was, looking forward to a nice long, afternoon nap and I'm denied that opportunity because my stupid half sister is turning ten in two hours. Some might think, 'Oh, she has enough time to squeeze in a harmless, twenty minute snooze.' But no. I have to change out of my waitressing uniform, reapply my makeup, fix my hair and drive the hour long drive to Fucking Forks, my Fuckity Fucking Fuck of a hometown. This was stupid, I pouted as I got off my couch and out of my clothes. I wish I had listened to Jasper.

An hour later, I had changed my clothes, taken a shower and made myself look pretty all over again. This was wasting my all my products. I had done the math. With the amount I used daily, I had exactly twenty nine more days of use, before I ran out. Now, I only had a measly twenty eight! I groaned as I picked up my coat and walked out the door. Maybe I still had a little bit of time to talk Jasper into going with me. I picked up my cell phone out of my purse and called the last number he called from. A feminine voice answered. Feminine, but certainly not pleasant.

"James? This better be you, you slimy fucking asshole." She snapped in a nasal voice. Ah, the sounds of the street. I miss you so.

"Sorry, Vicky, it's Bella." I told her. "Is Jaz around?"

"Oh, hey, Bella." She sighed. "Naw, Jaz Man ain't around. I haven't seen him all day. Why? He owe you money or something?"

Or course she would assume that. It was the main cause of death in these parts. "No, I'm just worried about him. Hey, if you see him, tell him to come my way tonight. I'm sure I'll have stories for him and some Taco Bell."

"Taco Bell?" She snickered. "Bitch, you might have all of us coming your way tonight if you got you some Taco Bell."

"You're welcome any time, Vicky. Don't forget to tell Jaz, okay? Bye." I said, hanging up. I shook my head and turned on to the main road. There wasn't a lot of traffic tonight, so it might be a short drive to Forks. It would have flown by if I actually wanted to go. But I couldn't be mean to kids, especially ones related to me and if Bree was counting on me, then I wouldn't let her down. Her big brother was a different story. I would definitely have to track him down tonight.

I pulled up almost an hour later at a house so familiar, yet so painfully unfamiliar, it made me want to puke in their bushes. I walked up the driveway, pulling some confidence out of my ass and placing it on my face. Not literally, but figuratively. I rang the doorbell and not a moment later, a small child swung the door open. She deflated when she saw me standing there. I had that affect on some people.

"Who are you?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. A woman arrived behind her in a cloud of perfume, nervously. Her curly black hair framed her face and her russet skin was smooth and flawless. My pale face would look smooth and flawless if only I could afford the foundation she was wearing. She picked the child up and gave me a once over, putting one hand on the door.

"May I help you?" She asked, clearing her throat. I stepped forward, into the light from the porch. Recognition dawned on her face.

"It's Bella, Sue." I said, quietly. "Charlie called and asked if I wanted to come to Bree's birthday. So…here I am."

"Oh." She said, flatly. "Oh, yes, of course. Come right in, Bella."

I followed her into the house, noting enviously that they had mirrors. I didn't have mirrors. I didn't even have a bathroom mirror. Sue fluffed her hair, anxiously and set the child down near the stairs. I remembered those stairs, I thought, almost fondly. I used to sit on them whenever I was over here as a child. So, about five times, I sat on those stairs. I relished them, considering we lived in the backroom of the porn production studio and all I had to sit on was a giant spanking bench. Not really something you'd find at Home Goods. We slept on the gym scene mats. They were quite comfortable, especially with the blankets from the suburban home hotties scenes. In my Mother's world, if it was free, it was perfect. Probably because she got scammed out of every penny she made by her sleazy, lunatic of a boss. I'll tell you…James was a helluva lot older than me, but he was hotter than hell.

"Bella?" I knew that voice. It haunted me, I thought. "I didn't think you'd come."

I spun around and wrapped my arms around my waist. "I told you I would on the phone. Memory lapse, Charlie? I see you forgot to tell your wife about our little phone call earlier."

He held up one hand and shook his head. "It was just a misunderstanding, Bella. Sue is just under a lot of stress and forgot about the extra mouth to feed."

"There's no food left." I answered, leaning against the counter. The counter I should rightfully be able to call 'From My Childhood'. "Unless everyone just hid it in the cabinets when I rang the doorbell."

"We're not that coordinated." He smiled, trying to make a joke out of it. "You got that from me."

I shook my head. "No, I got fear of abandonment from you. And let's not forget my commitment issues."

Charlie looked extremely uncomfortable as the children at the table watched us. I shot them a dark look and they continued eating. Who said I wasn't good with kids? Maggie thought I was a fairy princess. All these kids thought I was Satan. "We're having cake soon. Don't worry, there's enough of that for everyone."

Of course. Leave it to Charlie to avoid the situation right smack dab under his nose. "That's cool, Charlie, I think I'm going to bail out a little early. I have work in the morning. I'll go find Bree. I want to at least make an appearance for her."

I found the basement with no trouble at all. I vaguely recall Jaz and a game of hide and seek down here about twelve years ago. The stairs had been renovated, not to mention the actual basement. It was just a damp hole when I was down here last. Now it had paint and carpet and a foosball table. What the hell? They got foosball, I got dildo hockey? There were three kids around Bree's age surrounding the foosball table, while two kids played. Bree being one of them. I knew those eyes anywhere. They were pretty much the only thing Charlie ever gave me that Jaz didn't smash with a baseball bat. I walked slowly over to Bree and she glanced up, before glancing back down and then looking wildly back up at me.

"Bella?" She squealed. "You came!"

I let out an oomph when she wrapped her arms around my waist and giggled. The whole game stopped and I didn't know what to do with my hands, so I awkwardly hugged her back. "Surprised?"

She nodded, frantically. "Yes, yes, yes! This is so cool. You have to meet all my cousins! Guys, look! It's my sister!"

"She's not your sister." One younger boy scoffed. He looked to be around six or seven. "I heard Aunt Sue talk to Mommy on the phone. She's a mistake."

I swallowed down the lump building in my throat. Even these kids knew I wasn't really welcome here. There were some loud footsteps on the stairs and a roar, before all the children, excluding Bree, screamed and ran to it. She huffed and looked up at me, sadly. "That's just Emmett. Don't worry."

Suddenly, a large man came around the corner with about ten kids hanging off of him. He laughed and shook them off onto a couch, before turning to look for Bree, I assumed. He spotted her…then he spotted me.

"Happy Birthday., Bree Bear." His eyes never left me. And not in the usual, lusty way. They were suspicious. "Who's your friend?"

"She's not my friend, Emmett." She scoffed, spitting his name at him. "She's my big sister."

I wanted to stick my tongue out at him, but this was getting entirely too personal for me to be alright with. I unwrapped Bree from around my waist and inched towards the stairs. Emmett watched me, cautiously. Good God, what did Sue tell these people? Probably everything but the truth. "Bree, it's been so great, but I have to get going."

She pouted. "But you just got here."

I bit my bottom lip. "I know, kid. But it's been…well, it's going to be a long night. Happy Birthday, though."

She ran over to hug me once again. I gave her a tighter hug than I did last time and stared at Emmett, pointedly, while I was doing so. His eyes never left me as I went back up the stairs. I realized I hadn't even taken my coat off. I found Charlie with his arm wrapped around Sue's waist near the living room, speaking with another couple. I made my way through the strange people to say goodbye. I would rather have an awkward goodbye than no goodbye. I tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around, surprised, like I wasn't here before.

"I'm bailing. See you…sometime." I mumbled, stepping backwards. He turned around and held his arms out for a hug, but I saw the flash in his eyes that made him stop and see who he was about to embrace. He looked down at the ground and moved one hand to rub the back of his head. I suppose it shouldn't make me so sad after nineteen years of ignorance. But it made tears well up, just the same.

"Oh, Charlie, aren't you going to introduce us?" The woman they were speaking with asked, sweetly. She had no underlying tones and no false expressions. Just sheer sweetness.

He cleared his throat. "Esme, Carlisle, meet my, um, daughter, Jeza…"

"Just Bella!" I cut in, not wanting any attention drawn to my name. "I'm just Bella."

If they were surprised they didn't show it. "It's so wonderful to meet you, Bella. I had no idea you had another child, Charlie!"

"He has two. _Two_ other kids." I snapped. "We're twins."

"Twins are a blessing." The woman said, wistfully. "Double the trouble, though."

"More like double the neglect." I said, bitterly. "If you'll excuse me…"

The woman, Esme, touched my arm, affectionately. "Oh, no, here comes my son. You two look right around the same age. I think you'll hit it off."

Sue snorted. "Esme, when will you stop trying to set that boy up? He's twenty three; he can find his own dates!"

"Here he comes now." Esme told me, ignoring Sue. "Edward? Come meet Charlie's daughter."

There was a presence behind me. "Meet her? I already know Maggie and Bree, Mother. In case you forgot, which it seems you have."

She rolled her eyes. "No, no. This is Charlie's oldest daughter, Bella. Bella, this is my middle son, Edward. Emmett should be around here somewhere…."

I turned around, regretfully and nearly lost my head. I peered up into those familiar green eyes and they burned back at me, playfully. I huffed and took a step back, near Charlie. I so didn't need this or want this right now. He stared me down until I turned away, painfully. He continued to smirk at me, I just knew it, because Esme called his name a number of times and he never responded. I mumbled another goodbye to Charlie and tore out of there, like a bat out of hell. A bat out of hell would have been easy. I was a girl trying to get out of her Father's new life.


	2. Shit Out of Luck

"This is bullshit." Jasper said, eating a piece of lime whole. "What's Charlie doing hanging around with some twenty three year old tool that banged his daughter? It's nasty."

I groaned. "Jasper, this is not happening! I just wanted a one night stand. A one night stand to cheer me up and make me a little less suicidal about Garrett ditching me. But no, God just won't let me have that. God won't let me have shit!"

Jaz shook his head. "Naw, you got shit. A shit life."

I screamed into a pillow while Jasper continued to munch on his Taco Bell. He dawdled around my apartment, picking up clothes off the floor and placing them gently in my dirty clothes basket. That was the thing you had to love about Jaz. He would never hug you, but you could always count on him to show his love subtly. Even if that meant picking up my clothes off the floor. I breathed evenly into the pillow as Jaz started on the dishes in my sink, but I heard him let out a quiet sigh. I peeked when I heard him opening the envelope on my counter. I narrowed my eyes in his direction and he cocked an eyebrow at me.

"What?" He demanded. I rolled my eyes.

"Open my mail, why don't you?" I scoffed, laying my head back down. He snorted.

"Gladly." He continued to rip it open. I put my arms over the back of my head and did a mixture of a scream and a sigh into the couch cushion.

"I could have Gonorrhea, for all you know." I warned him. He chuckled, darkly.

"Trust me, love bug; I would know if you had Gonorrhea." He told me. I smiled, noting the name was another subtle way for him to show affection. "I can smell it."

My nose wrinkled, involuntarily. "That's disgusting."

"It smells like childhood." He shrugged, skimming over the paper in his hands. I didn't think too much of it as I closed my eyes. This had been an all around terrible day and all I wanted to do was sleep it off. I didn't notice that Jasper was being so awfully quiet until he cleared his throat rather loudly. I continued to lie on the couch, until he did it again, much more obnoxiously. I sat up and gave him my signature expression.

"Do you need something?" I asked, yawning. "I already fed you."

His eyes were a tad bit wider than usual as he looked back up at me. He shook his head and looked back down at the paper. "I don't need anything. But I think the small child currently occupying your vagina might need a thing or two."

I let that process for a moment, before rolling my eyes and letting my head fall back. "Fucking liar." I mumbled. I heard him set the paper down.

"Bella, I'm not fucking with you." He said, shakily. "You're pregnant."

I shot up and glared at Jasper from across the room. "That's not funny, Jaz. You know how I feel about kids."

He grabbed the paper and brought it over to me, with determination on his face. "Look!"

I skimmed over the paper, looking for any obvious negative signs, when I saw the key word: Fetus. I shivered and set the tainted paper down on the card table in front of me. I didn't have any money to buy a real coffee tale, but I needed something to put my store brand popcorn on when I watched free lifetime movies. Jaz stared at me from behind the couch. I finally turned my head around, slowly. My eyes stayed on the couch.

"Bells?" He asked, softly. I shook my head.

"Sorry I called you a fucking liar." I murmured.

He paused. "It's cool. I usually am a fucking liar." Another pause. "What are you thinking?"

I let out a sigh. "Garrett or Edward."

"What's your due date?" He asked, coming around to pick the paper up from the table. "Hmm. October twentieth. It's a Halloween baby."

I did the math in my head. I hadn't seen Garrett in almost four months. If I was due in October, I had to e at least two months pregnant. That means, Garrett is completely out of the question. And just when an opportunity floats by, I thought sadly. God doesn't even have enough pity to make the man I love the Father of my child. "Edward."

"Are you sure?" Jasper muttered, trying to do the math on his fingers. "Garrett bailed on New Years Eve, right?"

"Thanks for reminding me." I chuckled, sadly. "I'm pregnant. I'm alone and pregnant. What a kick in the ass. On this night, of all nights!"

Jasper whistled. "Do you even know this guys last name?"

I let my head hit the back of the couch. Ow. "Are you kidding? I was too plastered that night to remember my own last name, let alone his. Oh, this is so not happening."

"Guess again, love bug," Jasper shook his head in disbelief. "His little swimmers dove right into your stream."

I closed my eyes. "Fuck. You."

He muttered under his breath. "You already fucked _him_."

I opened one eye to stare at him. "Wouldn't the appropriate response be 'You're my sister'?"

He nodded, patiently. "That too."

I put my arms over my eyes and let out a long groan of distress. "What am I going to do?"

Jasper sat down next to me and touched my hair, hesitantly. A sure sign he was just as scared, not to mention shocked, as I was. "There's always, well, abortion."

I let that sink in for a minute, before shaking my head. "I could never do that. It would make a worse Mother than Renee ever was."

"Technically," He murmured. "You wouldn't be a Mother if you got an abortion."

"Still." I huffed. "I mean, at least Renee had us and took a shot in the dark at raising us. If I have an abortion its like giving up before it even starts."

He pondered this. "What about adoption?"

I snorted. "I'm not handing my baby over to the state, Jasper. That's worse than leaving it with a pedophile."

Jasper touched my hair again. "I'm pretty sure there are about a million kids lined up outside the door, ready to disagree with you on that one."

I shook my head, running one hand through my hair. "What about a time capsule? Or some kind of body freezer?"

He ran a hand through his own hair. "Let's face it, love bug. No abortion, no adoption…your shit out of luck."

I sat up, shaking my head, vehemently. "That's not true. What if it went to live with Edward?"

Jasper stayed silent. He finally spoke, when my stare wore him down. "So it can grow up with an absentee Mother? I'm sorry, Bella, but think about what it was like growing up without a Dad. Growing up without a Mom, or at least a Renee, has to be way worse."

Shot down. Again. "You're right. Oh my God, I don't even know this guys last name. How am I supposed to call him if I don't know his last fucking name?"

Jasper looked timid. "Well, didn't you say he was at Charlie's place tonight? You could always ask him…Or hell, ask one of the kids. They like you, right?"

I scoffed. "I can't ask Charlie, Jasper. He already thinks we're terminal weight on his shoulders. I can't add another pound."

"Well," Jasper sighed. "If you don't want to rock the boat with Charlie, you'll have to find some other way. How many Edwards can there be in Seattle? Phonebook, here we come."

"I am not spending all night looking through the phonebook, Jasper Swan." I snapped. He shrugged.

"It's either that or spend all night working up the nerve to call Charlie." He pointed out. I blew the bangs out of my face. I hated when he was right. He read my mind, seemingly and got up to get the phonebook out from under my cabinet with the half empty bottle of Windex and the trash bags. Jasper sat down next to me and grinned.

"Are you ready for the night of your life?" He asked, playfully. I rolled my eyes.

"Bring it on." I murmured, nodding.

/

It was two in the morning when Jasper shook me. I sat up, groggily and he stared at me with bloodshot eyes. He was breathing heavily and had the notepad from my purse that I used to take orders. Did he go in my purse? It was a fleeting thought.

"Okay," He began. "I have been through the entire fucking phonebook. And I've narrowed it down to five guys. Are you ready?"

I nodded, sleepily. He started to rattle off names. "Edward Atkins, Edward Baldwin, Edward Cullen, Edward Miller, Edward Phillips …"

"Wait." I said, putting my hand up. "Edward Cullen. That sounds vaguely familiar. What's the number? He wrote it on my hand, I still remember the last two numbers."

He read it aloud and I gasped. Two Six. The last two numbers of this guys number matched my baby daddy's. It was too late for this. Or should I say early? Before I could even comprehend what I was doing, I grabbed the phone off the card table and dialed the number so quickly, you'd think I knew it by heart. Jasper tried to take it out of my hands, but I stood up and walked to the other side of the room. He sat and watched me with a horrified, tired look on his face. I ignored it, tapping my foot at every incessant ring. Finally, a voice caked with sleep answered.

"Hello?" He yawned. My heart skipped a beat. I remembered that voice. "This better not be you, Emmett."

I quivered. "Is this Edward Cullen?"

Jasper ran a finger over his throat, before lying back and closing his eyes. "Who wants to know?"

I gulped. "It's Bella. Remember, from the bar? You remember, right? You probably don't remember." I stammered. Something snapped inside of me and I realized what I was doing. "Sorry, wrong number!"

I threw the phone on the floor and walked over to slap the bottom of Jasper's foot. He nearly kicked me in the face moving away, with a scowl clearly meant for me. "What the fuck?"

"Why didn't you stop me?" I demanded, slapping his foot again. He did kick me this time, right in the shoulder. "Fuck. Ow."

"Because everything I tell you goes through one ear and out the other." He argued. "Now shut your trap, I've been up all night looking for your baby daddy. Let me sleep."

"Sleep?" I demanded, my voice raising at least three octaves. "You want to sleep at a time like this?"

"Why on Earth would I want to do that?" He grumbled, putting a pillow over his head. "Pfft. Sleep. That's so overrated. I'd much rather stay up all night and talk about our feelings."

"Jasper," I whined, stomping my foot. A sloppy, amused smile appeared on his face. "This is serious. You're my brother; you're supposed to be there for me. And I…I need you right now."

Jasper sat up and patted the spot next to him, looking at the ground. I sat down, stiffly, next to him and he rolled his eyes, before pulling my feet on to his lap and putting a pillow behind my head. "If you're not going to sleep, you should at least be comfortable while we talk. You know, in your condition."

I pouted. I wanted to badly to be mad at someone right now, but I had no one to be mad at but myself. Jasper was being sweeter than he's ever been before, I didn't even know Edward well enough to hate him yet and here I was, standing here in the middle of this, pregnant as fuck. Jasper looked at me like I was a lunatic as tears welled up in my eyes. Jasper and I made a promise to each other early on. We would always stay strong for each other, no matter what we were going through. And we had never broken it until now. I felt like a complete bitch, just throwing away a fourteen year promise like that, but it was out of my control. Fat tears rolled down my cheeks and on to my shirt, which was now covered in drool and stupid tears of stupid sadness.

"I'm scared." I whimpered. "Jasper, I'm fucking scared. I've never been scared before. Not like this."

He tried to be understanding. "You have every right to be. You're having a baby. You're responsible for another human life. It's terrifying. I'd be going out of my mind right now if I were you."

Key word there was tried. Jasper tried to do a lot of things. Like be comforting and supportive. I love him to death, but he is the worst support system anyone could ever have. And he was my _only _support system. He was the base, the pillars, the ceiling, the paint on the frickin' walls. He was all I had and it made me feel like utter shit. "I'm going to be a Mother."

A hand appeared on my knee. It gave me a glimmer of hope. "You're going to be a _great _Mother, Bella. You'll love that baby to death, I just know it. I know you."

"I have to talk to Edward." I said, choking a bit. Jasper snorted.

"I thought you already did." He said, with a mocking edge to his voice. "I don't know how you're going to top that award winning dialogue. 'S-sorry, wrong number!'"

"You suck. You know that right? You suck cock, Jasper. Big, giant, stupid, hairy cock." I mumbled, angrily.

"How are you even going to tell this guy that your pregnant?" He wondered aloud. "I mean, does he even have any money? What does he do? Do you know anything about him at all?"

I shrugged, sadly. "He prefers Vodka to Whiskey."

"Pussy." Jasper muttered.

"That's exactly what I was thinking." I smiled, softly. "Jasper?"

"Yeah?" He responded, touching my knee again. I put my hand over his.

"Thanks for staying up with me." I whispered. And then, just for a moment, he didn't have anything to say. He just kept his hand on my knee and smiled.

/

"Waitress? Waitress?" A shrill voice called from behind me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, before spinning around and plastering on a big, fake smile.

"Can I help you?" I asked, wincing at the sickly tone of my voice. She tilted her head to the side and blinked, like whatever was wrong should be obvious to me.

"You haven't taken our drink orders yet." She pointed out, snidely. I huffed.

"Well, you're still waiting for members of the party to arrive, so I thought it would be best to wait for them. You know, courtesy." I said, subtly. She sniffed.

"They don't deserve my courtesy." She said, tilting her chin up. "He's fifteen minutes late. Honestly, how rude."

The two women she was with came back from the bathroom, giggling and gently slapping each others arms. They completely ignored me as they sat down on either sides of the woman. "Well, then, what would you all like to drink?"

"I'd like a water." The original woman said, closing her menu with a huff. "Mineral. Hold the ice."

"Water sounds fantastic." The other one agreed, nodding her head like the idea had never occurred to her. "Make that two waters."

The last woman snorted and looked up at me, like she couldn't believe them. "Screw water, I want Coke. Lot's of ice, please."

"Diet Coke." The original amended. I swear the third woman ground her teeth right sown to the root.

"I didn't order diet, Tanya, because I don't want diet." She snapped.

Tanya rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Kate. If you want to blow up like a balloon, be my guest. You're already showing." She pointed out, disdainfully, before looking to me, mischievously. "It's the hormones."

"Tanya!" Kate hissed. I couldn't help it. It was against my nature, but I took pity on the poor girl.

"That's alright." I said, kindly. "I know all about them. I'm actually about two months along."

Kate gave me a grateful look. "Aren't you just so thrilled? I haven't been this happy in my entire life."

I sucked in a sharp breath. "I'm just…peachy."

I walked away with their drink orders, dying for a smoke. But now that I was suddenly pregnant, I didn't want the baby to have brain damage or anything. Having a normal child was hard enough, but a disabled one? That sounded terrible, but it was so true. I got them their drinks, quickly, not wanting this Tanya woman to cause a scene. That was the last thing I needed at this point. I made my way out to the floor again, only to stop dead in my tracks when I saw the rest of their party had arrived. The rest of their party being none other than my Baby Fucking Daddy. The first thing that popped into my head was Kate. She was pregnant! But Esme introduced him at the party as single. This didn't add up. He sat uncomfortably next to Tanya and Irina, while his brother and another blonde woman occupied the seats next to Kate. The blond woman was cooing and awing at Kate's budding stomach, while ground her teeth and peered around the restaurant. Before she could spot me, I ducked behind one of our taller waiters and shoved the drink tray into his arms.

"Tyler." I said, desperately. "I need you to take over for me. Party of six, table four, my section. Please? I'm begging you."

He nodded, unsurely. "Yeah, sure, Bella. They giving you trouble or something?"

I whimpered. "Oh, this is causing me so much trouble, Tyler, you have no idea."

He agreed to switch sections with me until they left, but I couldn't help but peek in every time I walked by. Edward stayed stiff and uncomfortable. How odd. He was so loose and relaxed at the bar that night. Maybe it was because he was wasted out of his mind. I was skittish, until I passed Tyler in the kitchen. He announced they were waiting for the check, before holding it up for me to see. I didn't know what I was thinking, but it was a split second decision. I took the check from him and turned it over to the back, before pulling out my pen.

**We need to talk. **

I scribbled down my phone number under it, hoping he wouldn't recognize it from last night, before ending it simply.

**Bar Bella.**

Hopefully, there weren't too many of them running around.


	3. Womb Full of It

"Why hasn't he called yet?" I moaned, pacing back and forth in my apartment. "This is stupid. I should have just approached him like a normal, responsible human being. But no! I took the easy way out, like a chicken. It's official. I. Am. Chicken. Shit."

"I could've told you that." Jasper told me, popping the lid off of a can in my kitchen, before smelling the contents and wrinkling his nose. "You didn't have to go to all the trouble. Hey, when did you buy this soup?"

I rolled my eyes and took the can from him, before dumping it down the drain. That was going to clog, with all my luck. The disposal already broke this morning when I _washed my hands_. Jasper stared at me, agape.

"You just dumped a perfectly good can of soup down the drain." He said, flabbergasted. "Who are you?"

"Oh, please," I scoffed. "That soup expired three months ago. I've been saving it for those damn cats that roam around on the roof. I'm going to poison them."

Jasper pretended to pull an imaginary phone out of his pocket. "Hello? Child protective services?"

I punched his shoulder and he winced. "You're a guy!"

"Thanks for noticing." He said, cutting me off. "Tell me, how long did it take you to figure that out?"

I glared at him. "You're a guy. You should know why he hasn't called yet. Does he remember me? Or does he just not want to remember me?"

Jasper shrugged. "Maybe he's just busy."

"Busy?" I demanded. "Too busy to discuss the future of his own flesh and blood?"

"Listen, love bug, you're driving yourself crazy obsessing like this." Jasper sighed, leading me over to the couch. "Sit down, eat your bagel and take a fucking chill pill. Because I'm not dealing with your crazy ass all day."

"But…" I whined. He scowled.

"Bagel!" He barked. I picked up my bagel, still warm from the café down the street and took a quick bite.

"Happy?" I muttered. He nodded, satisfied. "How did you even afford this?"

"I have bagel money." He argued, sensitively. I snorted.

"Oh, yes, that special bagel fund, burning a hole in your pocket." I snickered.

"It's not burning shit now, since I bought your nasty ass extra cream cheese!" He snapped. "Just shut up and eat. I have a headache."

"What's up your ass?" I grumbled, shaking my head. I didn't catch what he said, because the phone rang shrilly from my restaurant apron. I jumped up from the couch and dove for the phone, answering before I even saw the number. I had to stop doing that, I thought. "Hello?"

"Is this Bella?" A playful voice rang through the receiver. "You remember, right? You probably don't remember. Or is this the wrong number?"

I winced. "You remember me."

He chuckled. It sent shivers down my spine. "Oh, I couldn't forget you, peach."

I cringed. "Don't call me peach."

There was a dick bag smirk on his face. I could just feel it. "Well, what do I owe the pleasure of this call, peach? I have to say, I'm shocked _you _remembered _me_. You were a bit tipsy during our little rendezvous."

I huffed, giving Jasper the finger as he snickered on the couch. My phone was old, but it was loud. He could hear every word this douche bag was saying. "I wasn't the only one, if I remember correctly. And don't call me peach!"

He snorted. "How do you remember anything with all the whiskey you drank that night? And you didn't answer my first question."

He remembers what I was drinking. "You called me. Not the other way around."

"Ah," He said, lightly. "But you wrote your number on the back of _my _receipt. I'm curious as to how you got away with that, by the way."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I, um, work there. I saw you and then saw your waiter with the receipt and…I know, it was a little stalker-ish."

"Should I buy curtains?" Edward asked with a smidgen of self flattery in his tone. "Because I feel like you have a telescope set up across the street, watching me through the window."

This irritated me. He was entirely too full of himself. My womb was entirely too full of him as well, I thought. How unfortunately ironic. "I thought we could meet tonight…for dinner or something."

He seemed pleasantly surprised. "How spontaneous, peach. And here I had you pegged as a play it safe kind of girl. I'd love to have dinner with you. Did you have a specific place in mind?"

"I'm plenty spontaneous." I grumbled, mulishly. "If you're going to be an asshole, then I'm hanging up."

"It was a simple question." He said, obviously amused. "Or perhaps we could pretend to bump into each other at this non specific restaurant of your choosing, seeing as your so spontaneous and all. I wouldn't want to cramp your style."

I scowled at the wall. "I'm hanging up."

"If you're too cool to plan _so far ahead_…" He mocked me.

"Bye!" I snapped, pausing for a moment to see if he would respond.

"Oh, peach," He sighed. "You and I both know you wouldn't hang up on me. Okay, let's be serious. What's convenient for you?"

I pouted as Jasper rubbed his thumb and forefinger together. The world's smallest violin, playing the world's saddest song. That jackass, I thought. "Do you know Viola's?"

"I'm quite familiar with it, actually." He said, honestly. "I'll meet you there at seven? Unless of course, you want to _spontaneously_ meet there at seven."

"Seven it is," I muttered. "Don't call me peach. Goodbye."

"I'm counting down the minutes, peach." He murmured, before hanging up.

I hung up the phone and Jasper cocked an eyebrow at me, mischievously. "Well, he's either stupid or crazy. I'm guessing both."

I put my hand on my hip. "Tell me again why I rely on you?"

He opened up a magazine and sat down on the couch, without ever glancing my way. "Well, it's either me or those Goddamn cats you're trying to kill."

/

It seemed so much later than it really was when I showed up at the restaurant. Jasper left with a promise to be back later, whether I was asleep or not. I gave him a key when I moved in, about a year ago. He always implied that it was for emergencies, but we both knew that wasn't why I gave it to him. I gave it to him because we all need a place to call home. And Jasper felt like home to me. I also knew that he kept it with him all the time. And that he came and went while I was at work. I didn't know what he did while he was here and frankly, I didn't care. In my eyes, it was his place as much as mine. He helped me with groceries. He vacuumed and did the dishes. He always gave me money when I was short on the rent. Though I was always suspicious when he produced fifties and hundreds on the spot with no job and no source of income, I chose not to question him. He had never given me any reason not to trust him.

I walked to the restaurant. My truck was making a funny noise, so I asked around and found a good mechanic that would take a look for a twenty and some fries. That made me a little wary, but beggars can't be choosers. And a cab was entirely too expensive. The restaurant wasn't too far away, that was why I chose it. Even if I could drive, I didn't want to waste gas. The hostess eyed me as I walked in. I wrapped my coat tighter around myself, a nervous habit. Even when I didn't have a coat on, I tended to grip my shirts and my sweaters. Jasper called it my 'safety', but I didn't like to think of it like that. In fact, I didn't like to think of it at all. The smells coming from the kitchen made my mouth water, but unfortunately, I knew I would end up only eating the free breadsticks. I was on a continuous budget and now that I had another mouth to feed, I was cutting back farther than ever before.

"How many?" The hostess asked when I continued to stand there. I snapped out of my haze and shook my head, idly.

"Um, there are two of us," I answered, shakily. "But he's not here yet, so I guess I'll just wait up here."

"Name?" She sighed, completely blowing off my explanation.

It seemed like a slow night. I was incredibly familiar with those. The restaurant I worked at was a Mom and Pop business, so we didn't have a lot of advertisement or pizzazz. But the food always made people come back. The owners were sweet people and they paid well. I knew they would be understanding when I told them about the baby, but I didn't really want to tell anyone about the baby. I came to Kate's rescue today at work because I didn't know them. They didn't know that I was single, broke and completely over my head. But everyone else on the notice list would. Charlie, Renee, my boss, everyone at work, hell, even the streets knew. I had my eyes closed and didn't notice the bell on the door ring until a sultry voice drifted through the room.

"Peach?" He chuckled. "Are you dead?"

I opened one eye and glared at him. "Don't call me peach."

I stood up and he unabashedly looked me up and down. "Well, I have to say you look rather radiant tonight."

I raised an eyebrow as the hostess pulled two menus out of the podium and motioned for us to follow her. "Were you expecting anything less?"

He nodded, a smirk playing on his lips. "Oh, yes. A muumuu, hair done up in rollers, you know…the works."

I rolled my eyes. "You're not so hot yourself there, slick. Is that a bald spot?"

Edward ran a hand through his hair, confidently. "Are you kidding? There are no spots in the mane, peach. Only luscious glory."

I snorted. "You're a pompous jackass."

He grinned, before giving me a quick wink. "So I've been told."

We slid into a sleek red booth with smooth jazz playing in the background. The hostess handed us the menus and told us to sit tight, our waitress would be with us in just a moment. She batted her eyelashes at Edward and he ate it up, eyeing her in a seductive way that made her cheeks turn pink. She practically ran off, leaving me to stare at Edward with a grimace on my face. He noticed, face falling a tiny bit.

"Something the matter?" He guessed, cocking an eyebrow. I scoffed.

"Why don't you just fuck her right here?" I suggested, sarcastically. A light bulb seemed to go off over his head.

"So you're one of those girls." He murmured. "That figures. The pretty ones always are. It's a shame."

"I'm not _one of those girls_." I snapped. "It's just…you know, you're out with me. And it's kind of essential I have your attention tonight."

This seemed to catch his interest. He sat up a little straighter and put his hands out in front of him on the table. He opened his mouth to speak, but our waitress popped in before he could get anything out. She was entirely too perky for a night like this, so I assumed the hostess tipped her off about Edward. She turned her back to me and specifically asked him if there was anything she could do to make his experience her more memorable. He smiled, almost politely at her and looked back at me. There was a gleam in his eye I didn't recognize.

"Peach?" He asked, with a strain in his voice. Like he was trying to hold in laughter. "Is there anything our lovely waitress can get you tonight to make your experience here more memorable?"

I glared at him, before glancing at the waitress. "Water is free, right?"

The waitress nodded, looking a little embarrassed that Edward so blatantly refused her. "Yes, ma'am."

"Water it is then." I murmured. Edward furrowed his eyebrows now, shaking his head.

"This is my treat, peach." He told me, seriously. "We'll have a bottle of your finest house wine."

I opened my mouth to object, but the waitress was already back in the kitchen. I sighed and picked at a loose string in the table cloth. It was the perfect opportunity to tell him, but scenarios had been running through my head all day, constantly getting worse and worse. He would throw the stupid house wine in my face. He would call me a whore. He would yell and accuse me of setting him up. Or, he would simply leave. I think that would hurt worst of all. I cleared my throat, finding myself inching my head closer and closer to the table. I just couldn't meet his eye. "Speaking of wine…there's kind of something I need to tell you about."

He waited patiently. "I'm listening."

I took a deep breath, shoving the sentence uncomfortably out of my mouth. "I…can't…drink it."

He seemed confused. "Are you allergic to something? A recovering alcoholic? Whatever it is, I'm positive I can take it, peach."

"Don't call me peach," I whispered, unintentionally. "Edward, I can't drink the wine because…because…"

"Because?" He prompted me, eyes growing more and more concerned.

"Oh, fuck it," I mumbled. "Because I'm having your baby!"

I was met with silence. He continued to stare at me, calculating. It was like he was searching for a hint of humor or a sign of dishonestly. When he found nothing but earnest, frightened truth, he let out a sharp breath. "This wasn't how I expected this night to go."

I looked towards my lap. "How did you expect this night to go?"

He shrugged, unconsciously. "Maybe have some dinner…get a little toasted…take you back to my apartment…but I definitely didn't expect a baby."

"Make that two of us." I responded, softly. It was the first time since I'd met him that he had been speechless.

"Are you sure?" He finally asked with something very different in his voice. Suspicion? I wouldn't be surprised.

"Am I sure that I'm pregnant?" I asked, laughing despite myself. "Or am I sure that it's yours?"

He took a deep breath. "Both."

I nodded. "Trust me, Edward, I don't get out much. You're the only one since…God, what's it been? Since Christmas, I suppose."

"Christmas." He murmured to himself. "Don't get out much. Right. Right! You said something about that at the bar. So…so…it's mine?"

"Unless you have a twin." He stayed silent. "Oh, Good God, please don't tell me you have a twin."

He shook his head, slowly and vaguely. "No, no…I don't have a twin. You're pregnant! I mean, just…wow!"

Wow. That was a place holder. It was a word you used when you had something else to say and you didn't want to say it or when you wanted to say something else and you didn't know what it was. "Don't you have anything else to say?" I asked, quietly.

His eyes widened. "I don't know. How far along are you?"

I shrugged. "Who the hell knows? I'm due on October Twentieth, though. You can do the math."

"Math." He muttered. "I've never been good at math. I hate math."

We were both silent. It wasn't earth shattering or even all that awkward. I was so incredibly used to silence, it was normal for me. I wasn't sure what I was expecting from him at this point, I just knew that I had to tell him. I thought it would just come to me once I did, but things seemed so much more scattered now. Like now there was another half to my puzzle that was even more confusing than the other. I ran a hand absently through my hair and wished I had a cigarette. I had never been a heavy smoker, but as Jasper called it, I was a stress smoker. I didn't like that term. It was the term Renee used for herself and I don't think Jasper ever noticed that. He had a tendency to block out everything Renee said to us, whether it was good natured or out of anger. I, myself, absorbed everything Renee said to me like a sponge. Not because it was ever important or because she was interesting, but because in the back of my mind, I always think that if I listen hard enough or if I see clear enough, she'll start to make sense. I should just come out and face the facts. Renee will never make sense.

And neither will anyone else.

"This is a lot to take in." Edward finally announced. "I'm sorry; I just need some time to think about this."

We both stood up, slowly. Our waitress was taking her sweet time coming back with our wine and since we hadn't actually consumed anything yet, I decided it was alright to walk out. Edward followed, awkwardly behind me with a frown on his face. Not a frown like he was unhappy, but like he was confused. I understood that, though I wished he wasn't. I was confused enough for the both of us. It would be so much easier if one of us knew what we were doing. We stood outside the restaurant for a moment, before he jabbed his thumb in a vague direction behind us. "M-my car is this way."

I nodded. "You'll call me?"

He eagerly nodded with slightly wide eyes. "You can count on it."

Satisfied with his answer, I started back to my apartment. I didn't hear him walk away and I didn't have the decency to look back and find out. I just kept walking, trying to separate myself far enough from my mind that I couldn't think about the situation I was in. I didn't want to think at all. I just wanted to be blank, for once in my life. I always had emotions flying around. I was always in a mood. I just wanted things to be simple, if only for a moment. Vicky was hanging around in front of my building when I walked up. She looked absolutely baked and it made me wary. Normally, I was more than happy to listen to the ramblings of the neighborhood drug addicts. They were friendly enough and their insight was usually pretty deep. Not to mention, it distracted me from my own life. But tonight, all I wanted to do was go upstairs and fall asleep next to my rock. My brother.

"Bella," Vicky said with wide, sleepy eyes. "Just the girl I was looking for."

"What's up, Vic?" I asked, leaning on the stair railing. She twirled a lick of hair around her finger and smiled, lazily at me.

"I saw your Mom today." She giggled. "She wanted me to pass on a message."

I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

Vicky racked her brain. "What was it? God, this is so _like _me. It's kind of funny if you think about it. I mean, _really _think about it! Oh, yeah. Congratulations. That was the message."

I froze. "Congratulations?"

She nodded, slowly. "On your baby. Jasper told her about it."

I shook my head, quickly. "No, that's impossible. Jasper doesn't talk to Renee, you know that, Vic."

Vicky shrugged, standing up, shakily. "Don't shoot the messenger. Hey, do you got some gum? I'm goin' to get a little…ha…anxious later."

I pulled a pack out of my purse, handing her the whole pack. "Just take it. G'night, Vic."

"Sweet." She snickered. "Night, Bella! Say goodnight to your baby for me. I heard it's real cute."

I shook my head, a cross between amused and irritated. I chose amused, because I was simply too tired to be irritated. I climbed the stairs to my apartment, not bothering to say hello to the screaming Mrs. Stanley and a crying Jessica on the couch in the lobby. She had a busted lip. I would feel bad for her later. Right now, I had my own problems. I was all alone in the apartment and it made me oddly depressed. I usually didn't care about being on my own, but tonight of all nights, I wanted the company of my idiot twin brother more than anything. Even if he did go behind my back and rat me out to my Mother. I crawled into bed with my clothes on and drifted off into an uneasy sleep. It wasn't until much later that I felt someone lay down beside me. I turned over, sleepily and met the big brown, familiar eyes of my brother.

"You asleep?" He asked, softly. I nodded.

"You going to take your clothes off?" He asked, brushing my hair back. I shook my head.

"Do you hate me?" He finally asked. I nodded. He chuckled.

"I hate you too." He whispered, leaning over to kiss my forehead. "Goodnight, Bella."

Goodnight, Jasper. I love you.


	4. In My Bicycle Basket

_It was cold. Goosebumps rose on my arms, making me shiver and rub them for friction. I sat up, head spinning as I looked around my brother. He slept soundly next to me, hair covering his face like a mask. I touched it, grateful just to feel something familiar. It was soft and drifted through my fingers all too quickly. I stood up, dizzy and confused. Where was I? This wasn't my room. Where was my room? The door was open just a crack, letting a small stream of light filter into the small room. I followed it. I was in my underwear, I finally realized. This wasn't my room and I was in my underwear. I gently wrapped my fingers around the knob and tugged the door open, anxious when it groaned, loudly. This was my hallway, but this was most certainly not my room. With the light in the room, I could make out objects surrounding us. We were on the floor, under a thin sheet. There was a large metal table in the corner with lots of shelves on the other side. There was paper on the table. It looked like doctors office. Did a doctor live here? I wondered idly if they had any lollipops, but people got mad when I took things from the pretend rooms. That's what you did in these rooms. Pretend. _

_There were noises. I listened carefully, following them down the hall like a dog following a scent trail. The noises led to my room. Someone was crying. There was shouting and snapping, like a camera. I heard my Mom's voice. My eyes widened and before I put my ear against the door, hoping to make out words. Mom just cried. A man yelled at her. I opened the door, careful not to make any noise. No one noticed, thankfully. No one ever paid us any attention. I could see into the room clearly enough. Mom was on my bed, if you could even call it a bed. It looked like the mats we had in gym class. There was a man on top of her, squirming around. He was grunting at her. She kept crying, but there were no tears. A man, a man I knew, stood in the corner with two other women and took pictures. One woman had a video camera. The other had water. What were they doing? Mom, I wanted to yell. Mom? Are you alright? But a hand on my shoulder stopped me. I gasped and no one heard me. No one ever heard me. _

_Jasper closed the door. He looked upset. Jasper was always upset. His eyes were tired and his cheeks were sunken. A skeleton; that was all my brother was. I often wondered if that was what Jasper saw when he looked at me. Perhaps I was the skeleton. The noises got louder and there was a sharp scream. I tried to turn back around, but Jasper put both hands on my shoulders. He stared at me for a long moment, before moving his hands down, down to my back. He hugged me against him tightly. I could feel his heart beat against mine. We walked back to the room, tangled up together. Sometimes I wish Jasper and I were one person. That way, we would both be strong. We would be one strong person, instead of one strong and one weak. I was weak. And I was ashamed. I put my face in Jasper's neck when we lay back down on the ground. He was warm. The door down the hall opened and closed. There was a presence in the doorway. We pretended to be asleep, because that's what you did in the pretend room. Pretend. _

_The presence left as quickly as it came. I cringed when it came back and lifted me up in its arms. It was the man, the man I knew. He carried me down the hall. I opened one eye and looked over his shoulder. Jasper was in the arms of the man, the man that made Mom cry with no tears. He stared at me, silently agreeing. We would much rather walk. They lay us down on the mats. The room went dark and they left us, laying in the familiar space, listening to each other breath. But this room wasn't familiar anymore. Things happened in this room that I was scared of. I rolled over on to the floor. Jasper did the same. I did not want to be on those mats. They weren't mine. They were contaminated now, contaminated with whatever Mom and that cry inducing man were doing. Jasper hugged me again. I closed my eyes and wished for a bed._

_It was still cold. _

/

I awoke to a soft breath on my face. One eye opened and then the other. I was met with warm brown eyes, familiar warm brown eyes, staring back at me. I could see down the very depths of his soul through them. They were worried and anxious, not to mention frightened. He touched my arm, gently. I smiled. This was the only connection we knew. It was how we knew we were safe.

"You're awake." He announced, almost to himself. I nodded, the pillows feeling rough against my cheek. I stretched my legs. "Are you okay?"

I closed my eyes again. "He needed time to think."

There was an intake of breath. "So you told him."

It was a statement, not a question.

"Of course I told him." I said, opening my eyes again. "He needed to know."

Jasper sat up. I followed. That's how it always seemed to be. Jasper led the way. He was stronger than me.

I got ready for work, wishing the world would disappear. Or maybe the world could stay the same and I could disappear. That would work just as well. Jasper whistled while he got dressed in my closet. It made me smile. He was trying to be cheerful for our sake. Because there were three of us now. Jasper, the baby and I. I wanted to say there were four of us. But a churning inside of me said that there were only three. I hope Edward calls today. I hope he sat up all night thinking. Jasper walked me to work with a promise that my car would be fixed when I got home. He didn't want me walking in my condition. What condition was I in? Lousy. That was the condition I was in. I still had to tell my boss that, too. I had an abundance of things to look forward to, I thought bitterly.

"You want to go to the bookstore after work?" He asked, lightly when we stopped in front of the restaurant. My boss waved to me from inside. I smiled back, weakly. "I've got a little extra cash coming in later. You get your paycheck today, right?"

God help us. "Um, Jasper, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm kind of having a baby. I have more important things I need to spend my money on. Like a doctor. And diapers."

He rolled his eyes. "You won't need diapers for another, what, six months? And I meant to go get baby books. Maybe we could learn a thing or two."

"I refuse to be a book parent." I snapped. He held up two hands. "And where are you getting all this fucking money?"

His eyes slowly narrowed. He scowled at me, before snorting and shaking his head. "Where I get my money is my business. You know what? Call me when you're done being a bitch."

I huffed as he turned on his heel and stormed away. "Jasper!"

He ignored me and kept walking. People passing by stared at me as I fumed, silently on the sidewalk, blocking the entrance. The bell rang on the door and a familiar face popped out at me, with a confused expression. Her bangs, an odd mix of colors, fell in her face and a cloud of citrus perfume followed her wherever she went. Charlotte was beautiful, absolutely beautiful, and I loved her for it. It meant no one looked at me when she was around. Her lips were bright harlot red and they turned down at the corners when she stepped out and saw Jasper walking farther and farther ahead of us. She turned to me and jabbed her thumb in his direction, scoffing.

"What's wrong with him?" She demanded, putting her hands on her hips. "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

I shook my head and pushed passed her, into the restaurant. "Nothing."

She followed me, not a very smart move on her part. "No, something's wrong. Are you sick? You look a little green."

I clenched my teeth. "Charlotte, do me a favor and shut the fuck up."

Charlotte's baby blues widened slightly and she stepped back. "Well, Jesus, Beezus. Take a chill pill, why don't you? It was only a question."

"An annoying question." I hissed. "Mind your own fucking business, Charlotte."

I didn't wait for her to answer. I turned away and walked back to the kitchen, where I knew I would get an unwelcome reception. The head chef, Laurent, was an unpleasant person altogether. He didn't like people, he didn't like food, he didn't like chit chat and most of all, he didn't like me. He was a French man and had the stereotypical hatred of all things American. I had no idea what he was doing working in an Italian-American restaurant, simply because he tried to incorporate snails and shit in every single dish he made. It upset the customers we had that came to this Italian restaurant in hopes of eating some Italian food. Often times, Elezear had to take over the kitchen. They kept him because he was a spectacular chef and he worked miracles for us in the review department. Laurent was eating a croissant at the small table we had set up in the kitchen, for us to sit at on our breaks. I snorted a he took a small, puckish bite of the croissant. He was a walking stereotype.

"What are you doing here?" He spat, narrowing his eyes at me. "You're not allowed in here! No. No!"

I gave him the finger, casually. "I work here, Pepé le Pew. I can be anywhere I want."

He sputtered. "You have no class! Americans are all ze same. Stupid."

"Go suck a baguette, you bicycle riding French fuck." I growled, walking to the large refrigerator and pulling out a bottle of water. No one would miss this. He sniffed, shaking his head.

"You have gained weight." He finally said. I dropped the bottle of water and he sat with his legs crossed, a delighted smirk forming on his stupid face.

"I'm pregnant." I snapped. "Put that in your bicycle basket."

Needless to say, he did put that in his bicycle basket. And rode all around the restaurant, tossing it into everyone else's bicycle basket. By eleven, everyone knew about my pregnancy, employees and customers all the same. I tried to ignore the pointed fingers and whispers. Tyler and the other male employees avoided me like I was a plague. I guess being pregnant made me a little less hot. Charlotte watched me from a fair all day, like I couldn't feel her eyes. I tried to stay pleasant under pressure, because I would definitely need these tips soon enough. I felt terrible now that everyone hated me, Jasper included. I was stupid for intentionally starting something with him, but I didn't know what else to do at this point. I needed to let off some steam and my usual solution, sex, backfired on me last time, so now I was stuck with fighting. I hated sports. I didn't want music incorporated with this mess in any way.. And I had two left feet. That ruled out everything normal people did to get their frustration out. Maybe Renee was on to something with this violent porn stuff.

Right around one o'clock, I finished up with a family and debated on whether or not I wanted to go into gossip city for lunch or if I wanted to eat my granola bar in the alley. The alley appealed more to me than the kitchen. I grabbed my purse and made a beeline for the back door, hoping no one would catch me. Right as my fingers grazed the door knob, a soft voice called my name from a few feet away. I turned, cautiously and found Carmen, sitting in a booth facing the door. She waved me over and I let out a sigh, blowing my bangs out of my face. I needed to grow those things out. I slid in across from her and she smiled at me, gently, before pushing a plate of food in front of me. A tall glass of coke followed. I bit my lip. I hated freebies and Carmen knew this. Elezear came through the kitchen doors before either of us could say anything and sat down next to Carmen. I awkwardly picked at the plate of pasta in front of me, until Carmen spoke up.

"Bella," She said, firmly but maternally. "You know I don't tolerate gossip, nor do I participate in it. But there have been some rumors going around today and we need to know. Are they true?"

I looked at the table. "You mean am I pregnant?"

Elezear cleared his throat, awkwardly. "It's not an issue if you are, we just need to be notified. There are laws about certain hours a pregnant woman can work in a day and we don't anyone snooping around here."

I paused, before nodding briefly. "Yeah, yeah, I'm…pregnant."

Carmen slid her hand across the table and touched mine, sweetly. "Is there anything we can do to help? Do you need some extra money? Anything we can do to help, Bella, really."

I shook my head, pulling my hand away from hers. "I'm fine, Carmen, honest. Just really, really overwhelmed."

"How about you take a few days off?" She suggested, looking over at Elezear. He nodded, vigorously.

"Take some time and clear your head." He agreed. "You need some time to yourself. Paid vacation."

I opened my mouth, ready to protest, but Carmen held up her hand. "I won't hear it."

"This is really nice," I started. "But I'm going to be taking a lot of time off in a few months and…"

"And we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Elezear said, smiling at me, kindly. It made me feel even worse about myself. I stood up, hitching my purse over my shoulder. They stood up with me. I ran a hand through my hair, awkwardly and gestured towards the door.

"If you don't mind," I sighed. "I'd like to start this paid vacation now. I kind of have something I need to hammer out."

Carmen came over and gave me a light hug. "Of course. Tell your brother we said hello. I saw him when I came in this morning. Did he walk you to work?"

I nodded, looking at my feet. "Yeah, that's kind of what I need to hammer out."

They probably thought I meant my car, but it ran so much deeper than that. I shoved my hands in my pocket and left the restaurant. It was a brief walk back to my apartment, but I felt like it was years before I reached the familiar street. The usual suspects were sitting in their usual spots, stoned and caked with street grime. Vicky and James were sitting on the curb in front of my building. Vicky reached out and touched my leg when I went by. I stopped and stepped back. Vicky was harmless, but James was a little more frightening. He was more hardcore than Vicky was. She was into the psychedelics. James was a serious Meth head, though I'd heard he was a pretty regular Heroin user on top of that. She tilted her head and looked up at me like I was something she'd never seen before.

"Bella," She said, drawing out my name. "You're look so pretty today. Like an angel."

I smiled, lightly. "Thanks, Vic. You look like a gift from God yourself."

She pulled at skirt, head lulling all which ways. "God? Where?"

I started up the steps on my building. "Bye, Vicky! Bye, James."

He groaned. I continued into my building. Mrs. Stanley was sitting at the counter, chewing gum and flipping through a magazine. She smiled, tiredly when she saw me come in. "Afternoon, Bella."

"Hi, Mrs. Stanley." I said, politely.

I made it into my apartment without any more interruptions. The walls were paper thin though, so I heard Jessica and her Dad arguing in their apartment as I passed it. I also heard about six people having sex and nine people watching Oprah. Is that all people did while I was at work. The two big O's? Orgasms and Oprah. That sounded like fucking paradise, I thought as I tossed my keys on to the counter. The flashing of my answering machine caught my eye as I walked to the couch. I stopped dead in my tracks, before practically lunging for it. I jabbed the button and waited, eyes wide for the message.

"_Hey, this is Bella, I'm not home so-Ow! Jesus Fucking Christ, that hurt, you asshole. Fine. This is Bella _and _Jasper. Leave a message after the beep. Fuck. Ow."_

A chuckled filled the room. "Good morning, peach. I guess I called at a bad time, so I'll try back later. I just wanted to let you know that I thought about this. A lot. I pretty much stayed up all night thinking about this and I just wanted to tell you that…I'm in. I'm all in. So, yeah. I'll call you later. Bye."

The message ended and I stood frozen. I finally let out a deep breath. Wow. That was unexpected. Unexpected and totally, completely, fuck awesome. I did a little happy dance and rubbed my stomach at the same time, swinging my hair around.

"Did you hear that, baby?" I whispered to the room. "You're Daddy _does_ want you!"

And you're already luckier than I've ever been.


	5. Dirty Like It Should Be

It was late. And Jasper still hadn't come home.

I sat up in bed, biting my nails and glancing nervously at the door. I tried multiple times to fall asleep, but I was too riled up. Where was he? Was he mad? Is that why he hasn't come home? Don't get me wrong. There had been plenty of times where Jasper hasn't come home at night and I have been. Technically, he didn't think of this place as his home. He thought of it as my home. So in his eyes, it was perfectly normal to stay out all night, sleeping on park benches and roaming the streets. But there's been a routine forming. He's been here every single morning when I wake up and lately, I've heard him come in at night. It was because I fought with him today. It was because I was angry with him and now he feels like he can't come home. But he can. I thought about taking the last two sleeping pills I had on my nightstand, but I didn't for two reasons. One, I didn't know if it was good for the baby. I had started to feel more and more aware of it as the days went on. There were things I had been kicking myself for missing. I really was getting a little bit bigger. There was no way to deny that. And I had been really queasy last month. I thought it was just a stomach bug, because it was on again, off again. The other reason was because I was a bit paranoid about medication. I know plenty of people with addictions and if there's one thing I've learned in all my years, it's that you can get addicted to _anything. _ Sleeping pills, included.

My head fell back against the pillow and I whimpered to myself. I touched my stomach, enjoying the feel of the tiny bump forming. It was almost comforting to know someone else was here with me. It was also frightening to know that I was responsible for it. I had only ever been responsible for myself. Well, that's not true. Ever since we were little, Jasper and I had been responsible for each other. We took the blame together, no matter what the punishment may be. If Jasper came to the door right now and told me he'd killed someone, I would grab a shovel and help him bury the body. And I know he'd do the same for me. My eyes started to droop. Thinking about Jasper was soothing, but also disconcerting, considering he hated my guts right about now. I hugged my self, and the baby, as I drifted off into an uneasy sleep. I opened one eye to look at the clock. It was midnight and Jasper still hadn't come home. Where was he? I knew I would wake up every hour on the hour until he was next to me, but it didn't matter, I thought as everything got darker and darker. I wanted my brother.

_It was raining. _

_It was five o'clock and it was raining. Men were coming home from work, kissing their wives on the cheek and ruffling the hair of their children. Not in my house, though. I didn't have a house. Just a big,, dirty, contaminated studio full of hopelessness and broken dreams. I didn't have a Father either. Well, I did. But he never kissed Renee on the cheek, or tousled our hair when he got home. When he got home, he opened a beer and turned on the television. Without us. If Jasper were here, he would tell me to shut my trap and finish my homework. Where was Jasper? He was supposed to be home by now. I met him in the library, like we did everyday. He told me he had some things to take care of at four o'clock. Four o'clock had passed, an hour ago at least, and Jasper was usually quick to take care of things. I shifted, nervously in my seat and tapped the pencil against the table top. I was in the "kitchen", as Renee called it. She was lying to herself if she thought this was a kitchen. It was a break room, a place for employees to drink from the water cooler and eat poptarts when they weren't in the middle of deep throat. Whatever that is. This was not a kitchen. It was a placeholder. Math is hard, I thought, sadly. Jasper is so good at math. I wish he was here. That's how we did things. Jasper did our math homework and I did our Language Arts. This was the first year we weren't in the same class. I hate third grade. I hate everything about it. Especially the fact that I was all alone. _

_There was the all too familiar clicking of heels behind me. I rolled my eyes as the refrigerator door opened and shut, just like it did everyday right around this time. She was looking for the chocolate bar she bought last night. But just like everyday, Jasper and I split it when we got home from school. Everyday she looked for it and everyday she couldn't find it. She never brought it up. But she knew it was us. I huffed, quietly from my seat at the table and she turned around with a hand on her hip. Her eyes were tired. She had bags under them and her cleavage threatened to spill out of her shirt. I could see the lacey underwear she wore under the tiny, tattered skirt. It was plaid. Her hair was in pigtails, kind of like mine. I wish I could wear lacey underwear. Everyone around here wore lacey underwear. Everyone except me. I was too little, I pouted silently as I erased the last problem, angrily. Renee raised an eyebrow and pulled out the chair across from me, Jasper's chair. She cracked open a soda and took a long swig, like it was something much tougher than Coke. Like it was whiskey. Renee sure liked her whiskey. I slammed my hands down on my paper as she tried to pull it away with her acrylic nails. I scowled at her, wishing more than anything that she would just die. Die, die, die. _

"_Let. Go." I said, through clenched teeth. Renee was stronger and yanked the paper away, successfully ripping it right down the middle. "Hey! Look what you did!"_

_She scoffed. "I wouldn't have done it if you had just given me the fucking paper when I asked for it."_

_I crossed my arms and slumped down in my chair. The teacher never believed my real stories. Only my excuses. I would have to tell her my dog ate it. Instead of the honest truth: My Mother was a spiteful, bitter old bat and she ripped it right down the middle when I wouldn't let her have it. "You never asked for it. You never ask for anything. You just took it."_

_Renee narrowed her eyes at me. "I'm your Mother; I don't have to ask you for jack shit."_

"_Probably because you wouldn't get it." I snapped. "I ask God every day for a new Mom and I never get JACK SHIT!"_

_Her mouth flew open. She gaped at me for a moment, before standing up and grabbing my arm, pulling me from the chair. "You mouthy little bitch. I ought to slap that smart mouth right off your face."_

"_Go ahead." I growled, struggling to get away from her. "Go ahead and hit me. Whore! That's what everyone calls you when you leave the room. A whore!"_

_I didn't know what compelled me to tell her that. Maybe because I was tired of keeping it to myself. Maybe to get her to let go of me. Maybe just because I wanted to see that flash of pain rip through her eyes. She let me go. I fell to the floor. I stared at the ground as she walked away. I didn't need her tears. She is a whore, I thought, menacingly as my eyes bore down at the tile. A filthy, disgusting whore. Everyone said it, so it must be true. It must be. I heard squeaky shoes on the linoleum and I glanced up when the worn down tennis shoes appeared under my nose. Jasper looked down at me with sad eyes. He held his hand out and I took it, pulling myself up from the dirty ground. Dirty like Renee. Dirty like it should me. The ground should be dirty. My Mother should not. When I was standing, I saw the real pain in his face. The busted lip. The black eye. I opened my mouth to speak, but the look on his face told me he would rather not say. That was the way things were. I knew him and he knew me. There was a long silence before he glanced at the table. One deep breath and then he said it._

"_I'll restart your math if you do my word study."_

_And that was why I wanted Jasper next to me. Because when we didn't stay together, we both got hurt._

/

I awoke to the shrill sound of my telephone ringing. My first thought was Jasper. My second was Edward. I was disappointed when I picked up the receiver, to find that it wasn't either. It was Charlie. Charlie, my Dad, someone I should be ecstatic to speak with. But I wasn't. I just wasn't.

"Bella?" He asked, clearing his throat. "Glad I caught you."

"Hey, Charlie." I said, wrapping one arm around my waist. I wanted to cover the ears. I never wanted my baby to hear the voice of the man that has caused me so much pain over the years. "What's going on?"

Charlie was shifting. I knew. He thought I didn't, but I did. "Oh, nothing, nothing. We're just having a little family barbeque tonight and Bree suggested we invite you and Jasper. It completely slipped my mind."

Ouch. "Of course, I mean, why wouldn't you think to invite your kids to this fun filled _family _barbeque." I snapped. "Golly. I get to see you twice in the same week? Lady luck must have finally caught up with me."

He sighed. "It's an invitation, Bella. Take it or leave it."

"Leave it." I whispered. "Listen, Charlie, I have a lot going on right now. I don't have time to play your games. We both know that you don't give a damn about us, you just feel guilty. And I don't want to come to your little pity party."

There was a pause. "Now, you know that isn't true."

I closed my eyes. "Do I? Because right now, it really feels that way. That's how it feels, Charlie and it hurts. It hurts, it bites, it sucks and you made it that way. I have to get going. Call me when you fall off your high horse and take responsibility for your actions."

I pressed the end button with ease. It felt good to be mad at someone other than myself. I was kicking myself for not thinking of this sooner. I had no one to be angry with, so why not dig up all those old, bitter feelings I have towards Charlie? Because it would blow up in my face, I thought. I slipped off my pajama pants and pulled on some jeans. They were snug. I was fat. I pulled on an oversized sweatshirt, probably Jasper's and walked out the door, flip flops on my feet. It was almost May. My feet were getting hot and bloated. Not a good combination. I walked around the back of my building and found my truck, cool from the morning chill and from being untouched the past few days. Kind of like me.

I didn't want to go to work, but I wanted to get out of that frickin' apartment. It was suffocating me. I got my pay check yesterday morning, so I sadly decided to take Jasper's advice and go to the bookstore. I picked up the ever popular, What to Expect When You're Expecting. And two baby name books. I felt like a stupid bitch for dropping so much money on books, but I told myself they were for the baby. Technically, they were. But they were really to make me feel better about this whole pot of shit I was cooking. I had called the doctor's office the other night and I was surprised to find a message on my cell phone from the attending nurse. She told me I could come in today for a check up if I wanted, just to make sure the baby was doing alright and to see just exactly how far along I was. I wanted Jasper for this, I thought. Too bad I had no fucking clue where he was. I par oozed the streets a bit, looking for his familiar face, when I saw the second best thing. I rolled down my window and parked behind him, sticking my head out.

"Alec!" I called, honking my horn, quickly and anxiously. He spun around, coat whipping out behind him, He looked so damn good in the trench coat, I just wanted to lick him all over. But, unfortunately, those were the kinds of thoughts that got me into this mess. He walked over to my passenger window and I rolled it down. I gave me an aloof smirk and leaned against the door, crossing his heels behind him.

"Why, hello, there. What can I do for you, pretty lady?" He asked. Then he squinted in, before his face deflated. "Oh. It's you, Bella."

"Oh, it's you, Bella." I mumbled, mocking him. "Shut the fuck up. Who'd you expect?"

He shrugged and tucked his hands in his pockets. "What can I do you for?"

I looked around the street, pointedly. "You seen Jasper around lately?"

Alec was a wheeler and dealer, but he knew the streets well. Jasper and I were apart of these streets. He knew us well. We'd known Alec since we were small kids. Alec was a scared kid, always had been, but he had his reasons. Jane, his Mother, was raped when she was fourteen. His Father is also his Grandfather. Nuff said.

"Yeah, yeah," He said, nodding, his curls bouncing with each movement. I wanted to run my fingers through them. "I saw him on set last night."

"Set?" I asked, eyes widening. "You mean…the studio?"

He ducked his head, sheepishly. "I have a feeling I wasn't supposed to tell you that."

I huffed. "You were most definitely supposed to tell me that. What's he doing there?"

Alec shook his head. "I don't know…"

"Alec!" I snapped. "What is he doing at that fucking studio?"

He looked at me, intensely. "Don't yell at me."

I slammed my head against the steering wheel. "Alec. Fucking. Tell. Now."

There was a pause. "He's working."

/

I sat in my living room, hours later, wishing more than anything that I could have a cigarette. My phone vibrated in my pocket. I slipped it out and stared at the number on the screen, wishing this wasn't such a bad time. I was doing a lot of wishing these days. I flipped my phone open and blew the bangs out of my face, scrunching my eyebrows and staring at the front door. My voice was thick and heavy from the tears.

"Hello?" I croaked. He paused.

"Bella?" Edward asked, concerned. "Are you alright? You sound like you've been crying."

"Bingo." I whispered, before raising my voice. "No, no, I'm fine. What's up?"

"What's up?" He repeated. "My dick was up your vagina, and it made a fucking baby. This fucking baby is what's up. Did you get my message?"

I sighed. "Yeah, I got it. You said you'd call me later. I'm assuming it's later?"

He let out a laugh, but it sounded a little bit exhausted. "You know what they say about people who assume."

"You're an ass for calling me an ass." I said, smiling slightly. "This is probably something we should talk about in person."

He cleared his throat. "That's actually why I was calling. I was wondering if you would meet me for dinner."

I glanced at the timer on my broken, grimy old oven. 7:45. "It's kind of late, Edward, I don't know. I'm tired and…"

"What happened to Miss Spontaneous?" He demanded. I huffed.

"She died." I hissed. "And I'm tired."

He let it go. "Alright. How about breakfast then? Tomorrow at, say, nine?"

I closed my eyes. "Whatever."

He was quiet for a long time. "You don't sound okay."

"I'm fucking fine." I snapped. "Just…family issues. I'm waiting up for my brother. He didn't come home last night."

He cleared his throat. "Do you want company?"

This made me smile. "Nice try, Edward."

He chuckled. "Goodnight, peach. See you in the morning."

"See you in the morning, Edward." I said, pressing the end button.

The question was, would I see Jasper?


End file.
